Airship
by egochan
Summary: A fic on Ryou and the Sennen Ring Spirit...I think. Oneshot. Ryou on Kaiba's blimp with Ryuuji Duke and Yami no Bakura before the first duel.


Disclaimer: The characters and, well, everything in this fic does not belong to me past the plot. I guess that's all really. No one is making money from this, I assure you.  
  
Note: Not much to say actually. This is a one-shot. Enjoy. I'm practicing my Yami no Bakura writing I guess. This is probably based on the dubbed a bit, but that's only the cheese reference-I think. *blinks* I don't even believe in any way it was Ryou talking to Yuugi-tachi outside the airship, but I need something to write about. *grins at people who are waking up and pointing at "Plans" with renewed vigour* Yeah, about that…. *sheepish grin*  
  
This fic only goes to show what happens when I snack on raw baby carrots and listen to U2, "The Joshua Tree," way too long than is good for me-though it isn't a song fic, I assure you, nor is it about the benefits of carrots on your eyesight.  
  
*blinks* As if that makes any sense….  
  
Oh, and sorry for an terrible errors, I was too lazy to get this beta-read.  
  
-)(-)(-)(-)(-  
  
Airship  
  
A fic on Ryou and his Yami--I think  
  
"Wow, awesome digs, Yuugi!"  
  
"Better than Pegasus's set up."  
  
"It is a bit large isn't it? Gosh, I'm almost too distracted to concentrate on dueling."  
  
"Yeah, we'll go so you can have some peace and quiet before your duel."  
  
"Okay, guys."  
  
There was the sound of a metal door swishing to a close. Ryou heard it as well as more than half the conversation within the group  
  
"Let's go to Jounouchi's."  
  
"Yeah, he won't mind."  
  
Ryou reached into his pocket while the party consisting of Anzu, Honda, and Ryuuji made its way down the hall. In a few seconds he had his ID card out and was sliding it through the door as the others came closer. With a same sound of its kin down the hall shutting, Ryou's door opened. He walked in and closed it before the others had passed.  
  
"I bet Yuugi's room is bigger than Jounouchi's."  
  
"Well, lets find out."  
  
"Yeah, Jounouchi's real good about things-and we should also check on Shizuka."  
  
Ryou leaned against the cool metal door, uneasy. He waited silently for the footsteps and voices to fade before letting out a sight of relief. The vast expanse of room opened up before him, large, ominous, and painfully desolate. He knew by their talk everyone was assembling in Jounouchi's before the tournament finals and didn't feel up to joining. Things had already been awkward enough, hadn't they? No one thought the white haired boy should have even been there. The shocked surprise, the downing disbelief that had fallen onto Yuugi-tachi when Ryou had revealed his five tournament locator cards had been embarrassing. He had answered their stream of questions to the best of his ability. Why wasn't he in the hospital? Where'd he get that Duel Disk? Oi, you duel, Bakura? It was a bit offending. The Sennen Ring's spirit had been slightly irritated by it all, but they'd gotten through. Ryou had given his rehearsed replies without any trouble. Things had gone as smoothly as they ever would.  
  
"Awe, what excellent accommodations, yadonushi." Yami no Bakura sneered, appearing suddenly near his hikari. This no longer bothered the boy. He looked up at the spirit to catch the rest of the announcement. "I wonder where the losers are demoted to?"   
  
Ryou didn't have an answer for this. He didn't know what the spirit wanted him to say. He never did. Lucky for him, the boy was never expected to have any wits or opinion anyway.  
  
"Of course, why would we even want to know anyhow? We'll never see. I'm going to destroy those foolish mortals in this tournament. There is no cause to be concerned with it at all."  
  
"Mou hitori no boku…." Ryou muttered sitting down. The spirit ignored this.  
  
"Hand me that pathetic deck, Yadonushi. I need to arrange it for the finals."  
  
Ryou obediently reached into his duel disk for his cards. He fished in his pockets for a moment to pull out the smaller side deck as well, passing them silently to the Sennen Ring Spirit.  
  
"Hmm…" the spirit mused over the cards, shuffling through them at lightening speed. Ryou watched, hypnotized by the alacrity in which the little slips of paper flew through his other mind's semi-transparent hands. In the dim room the fiend seemed almost solid, no massive amount of light distorting his already blurred features.  
  
"No… yes… yes… nope…" the fiend sorted orally, forgetting his host was present. Yami no Bakura was too busy compiling a strategy than to heed the existence of the ever-present Ryou, and the mortal was more interested in the speed of the cards and their soft flapping sound to take offense in the fact he was completely ignored. He was too tired, in too much pain, to care. His arm was a bother. To block out the worst of the torture was to block out almost every rational thought as all the thoughts were dwelling on the steady throb and the tremendous ache and sting of the sliced veins and muscle. Any distraction was welcome. Watching cards, for example.  
  
"Where's the Change of Heart, mortal?"  
  
Ryou blinked, eyes watering from his unbroken stare. Common sense knew he wasn't crying, Ryou hardly cried about anything. The spirit, though said to be insane, followed that common sense and waited impatiently for an answer.  
  
"Oh, yes…" Ryou muttered, still blinking moisture back into his eyes. He reached into his left pocket, which still held one card. "Here," he announced, placing it into the spirit's outstretched hand, "Change of Heart."  
  
Yami no Bakura took the card without a word and Ryou waited for him to start shuffling again. To his disappointment, the spirit merely placed the card inside the deck and passed the lot back to Ryou.  
  
"Put these into your duel disk and don't mess with them. Those are all the cards I'll need for beating Yuugi Motou…or anyone else," the spirit ordered, watching as Ryou fitted the deck into it's slot. The boy nodded, grabbing the leftover cards and pocketing them as well.  
  
Again without a word, the Sennen Ring spirit disappeared in his shared soul room. This left Ryou in the large, quiet apartment, feeling completely isolated from the rest of the airship. The spirit wasn't going to take control of him till it was time to duel, leaving Ryou a few hours of silent suffering on his own. It hurt too much to really think of anything, much less a way to keep the other mind from beating Yuugi Motou in a duel. Ryou had saved his friends many times from the Ring's evil spirit, but he had been able to actually concentrate on what he was doing. Now it was impossible. He was far too weak to resist much of anything.  
  
Ryou held slightly to his arm near the injury and tried to keep the hurt from distracting his thoughts. Out the window he could see the lights of a midnight Domino. The ship was at "dueling altitude"-whatever that was supposed to mean. He tried to estimate how high up they were instead of drowning in how horrible his body felt. This hazy chain of thought was broken by a loud clash of fist and metal rattling the door in what excused itself as a knock. Ryou sighed slightly and summoned from his painful vertigo a surge of energy to walk back to the door and open it, throwing on a small smile to boot.  
  
"Bakura?"  
  
Ryou blinked, slightly confused with who was in front of him.  
  
"Nani, Otogi-kun?"  
  
"Honda's with Yuugi, Anzu's with Mai, and Jounouchi's got Shizuka. I don't have much of a place to stay-there are only eight rooms in this airship. Yuugi-tachi said you'd be alright with company though."  
  
Ryou's feeble smile widened slowly at this, "Er, sure Otogi-kun. It's awfully quiet all alone."  
  
"Arigatou," Ryuuji thanked, entering the room, "Mind if I turn on the lights? This place is depressing without them."  
  
"Go for it," Ryou consented. Ryuuji located the switch in seconds. Light flooded the area and temporarily blinded Ryou who had been sitting in the dark. It was a dramatic change in atmosphere. Ryou awed a bit at how the brightness changed the whole mood of the room from gloomy to decent. He searched his mind for any reaction from the spirit. There was none, mou hitori no Bakura simply did not care or did not choose to respond.  
  
"Yes, you still have cheese!" Ryuuji cheered from the place of the mini refrigerator. Ryou grinned at the simple joy the dice enthusiast found in a dairy product. "Honda wiped out Jounouchi's supply, you know."  
  
"You don't say, Otogi-kun?" Ryou remarked, not really interested in the topic, but eager for conversation.  
  
"Well, I helped…but he got most of it. Kaiba's got this place stocked."  
  
Ryou nodded, only catching about half of the information. He hadn't checked how well supplied everyone was; he hadn't cared.  
  
"Goodness you're pale, Bakura," Ryuuji added randomly. Ryou looked at him confused, wondering what such a comment had to do with anything.  
  
"Why, is there something wrong?"  
  
"No, I've just never really seen you before," Ryuuji admitted, "I wasn't even sure I had your name right coming in."  
  
Ryou grinned apologetically, "I'd probably be saying the same thing if I hadn't known your face through that game shop you used to have. The Black Clown, wasn't it?"  
  
"Hai," Ryuuji grinned enthusiastically. Ryou noticed Ryuuji seemed to be very happy about something. He wondered if the dark haired teen was just naturally optimistic.  
  
"So, how's that been going, your professional game?" he asked, lost for conversation and dimly recalling Ryuuji's forte. In the back of his mind he started to wonder just how long he'd be sharing the room.  
  
"Oh, it's doing well. I plan on going to America in a few weeks for some serious competition." Ryuuji informed him chewing happily at the cheese and looking out the window.  
  
"Really?" Ryou nodded, not even bothering to contemplate the information. His mind drifted to the view in the large windows. The faint question of if he could see his apartment from so high up crossed his thoughts as he searched for familiar landmarks.  
  
"Hey, I can see my place from your side of the airship!" Ryuuji cheered. Ryou blinked at how similar this was to his thoughts.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Ryou shook his head quickly to clear his mind. Ryuuji was watching him with a confused expression, surprising the other teen with his concern. Ryou blushed and reached at his injured arm.  
  
"Is that even better?" Ryuuji asked, nodding at the bandage.  
  
Ryou frowned. He could feel his other mind tensing at the question.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," he replied, coming out a bit edgy. Ryuuji raised an eyebrow at this, causing Ryou to become anxious and frustrated. Why was Ryuuji even in there?  
  
"You know what," he suggested, "Maybe you ought to stay with Jounouchi and Shizuka? I don't think they'll mind."  
  
Ryuuji got the hint with Ryou's words, though his tone was as passive as always. The white haired boy obviously didn't want him there.  
  
"No, I don't think so either," Ryuuji agreed slowly, standing up. He was eyeing Ryou oddly, wondering what was bothering the boy. Ryou wasn't watching him though, he was staring at the floor, seizing with some kind feverous desperation at his elbows. The image unnerved Ryuuji and he was more than willing to leave through the still opened door.  
  
As soon as the startled teen's footsteps became inaudible, Yami no Bakura was out again, grinning.  
  
"Good job, Ryou," he congratulated the boy, pleased with Ryuuji's nervous expression. He took no concern with the fact the boy's condition had deteriorated at the exit of his company. Ryou leaned back in his chair and sighed lightly. A small bead of sweat made it's way down his temple. The injured arm was shaking as the bloodstain over the wound had visibly grown.  
  
"It's bleeding again," Ryou murmured, barely even awake. It had been a strain on him to hide the torment while Ryuuji had been present. The damage needed professional attention. There wasn't any in the small room.  
  
Yami no Bakura appeared oblivious to his host's suffering. He reached calmly for the boy's ID card and proceeded to finally closing the door. As far as he cared, it would not be opening again until dueling time.  
  
"It hurts, Spirit. My arm hurts badly."  
  
The fiend ignored the pathetic complaining. He knew the plea in the small voice, begging for some kind of relief. At the hospital the spirit had been on the surface of their mind while the child remained insensible. The sleeping agents addling the host's consciousness did not affect him. It wasn't the Ring Spirit's body; it was the boy's and he was merely borrowing it like a horrible parasite.  
  
"It started bleeding when Ryuuji-kun was talking. I don't know what to do," Ryou informed him, sitting up slowly, "Why am I here? Why can't I be at the hospital?"  
  
To Ryou's surprise, the spirit turned towards him. For a few short-lived seconds of exhilaration he though the fiend had been listening and was going to do something. As the hands reached for the duel disk though, he knew he was wrong.  
  
"Give me that and your cards. I need to fix some of the plan. I'm going to use a different strategy."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I forgot about a few cards of Yuugi's," the spirit informed him coldly. Ryou did as he was told, not commenting at all on the information. He didn't want to know what cards his other mind had forgotten. It wasn't his concern. He didn't need to know the game plan. That was the spirit's job.  
  
"Where's the Dark Necrophia?"  
  
Ryou shrugged as the weigh of the duel disk was removed from his arm. The spirit seemed to forget the question, once again shuffling through the cards. This time Ryou closed his eyes and listened to the flapping. He could feel the blood flowing up slowly into the hospital bandage with each beat of his frightened heart. The dull throb of his arm soon became almost in sync with that of the dueling cards. With each snap of paper the pain in the boy's head was more eminent, receding in the few seconds of silence and coming again.   
  
"These cards are pathetic," the spirit muttered, frustrated with his faltering concentration.  
  
Ryou didn't hear. He had finally fallen asleep.  
  
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The *coughs* lovely meat eating scene was removed. Gomen, all you manga people, it didn't fit. Lets say it happens later. *frowns* I should stop throwing dubbed/anime/manga out to the mainstream, eh?  
  
*yawns* I swear, I fell asleep writing that. I'm just trying to get used to writing about YuGiOh villains before I come up with something for Chibizoo's new contest.  
  
…Yami no Bakura was a villain last time I bothered to check.  
  
I repeat, I do not even believe Ryou had any idea he was on an airship until the end of his duel with Yami no Yuugi. I just felt like writing this.  
  
*blinks* I will, uh, go work on "Plans" now….  
  
~Ling no Yong~ 


End file.
